Roger Federer soared into the semifinal of the Miami Open after defeating Kevin Anderson in straight sets and during the first set, won a rally that will be remembered by everyone in attendance at the Hard Rock Stadium. The Swiss will play Denis Shapovalov in the semifinal on March 30.
Federer vs Shapovalov preview
Federer's Canadian opponent came back from a set down to beat Francis Tiafoe which caught the attention of Federer and he had some high praise for him and fellow Canadian Felix Auger-Aliassime. "I think it's going to be a really, really interesting year, and here in Miami, we see two of the most talented guys out there on the Tour right now," said the 20-time grand slam champion.
For Shapovalov, it is a dream come true to be able to play the Swiss. "It's definitely a matchup I have been looking forward to, I think, my whole life," Shapovalov said, smiling. "It's going to be a dream come true to play him in such a big event over here, and the stakes are so high, semi-final match of a Masters 1000 against your idol."
Shapovalov overcame Tiafoe in three sets 6-7 6-4 6-2 while Federer beat Anderson for the sixth time in seven attempts and as he did in his previous five occasions, it was a straight sets victory – 6-0 6-4. When Federer was 4-0 up in the first set, he went on to win a rally from the net that can only be described as incredible. One commentator exclaimed: "Are you kidding?" while another added, "I thought early this week we'd seen the point of the tournament with Nick Kyrgios but this is right up there." One must see it to believe it.
Miami Open 2019: TV telecast
- Americas (Pacific) - ESPN
- Canada - RDS, TSN
- Cyprus - Cytavision
- Denmark - TV3 Sport
- Finland - MTV
- France - Eurosport
- Germany - Sky
- Greece - Cosmote Sport
- Japan - Gaora
- Russia - Eurosport
- South Africa - Supersport
- Spain - Telefonica (Movistar+)
- United Kingdom & Ireland - Amazon Prime Video
